Pianist/conductor Ignat Solzhenitsyn is at his best with music that gives him plenty to do - emotionally, intellectually, and technically. So Live from Moscow: Solzhenitsyn Plays Prokofiev is, not surprising, core repertoire. The composer’s Piano Sonatas Nos. 6, 7, and 8, the so-called War Sonatas written in the 1940s, often come off like pianistic assaults. In Solzhenitsyn’s hands, they are varied and nuanced, with influences from Chopin to Poulenc contributing to some of Prokofiev’s most compelling moments. The live-recording circumstances are mostly an advantage: In-concert energy keeps Solzhenitsyn away from the interpretive microscope he sometimes uses in studio recordings. The Illuvium-label release is digital only, but available from the usual places (Amazon, etc.). - D.P.S.